Automatic air and gas valve for cars.



W. D. lsaoPHBRsoN.` AUTOMATIC AIB. ANDGS VALVE FDR GARS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 4, 1908.

909,320. Patented Jan..12, 1909.

UNiTEn sTETEs PATENT oEETcE.

WARREN D. MCPHERSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

AUTOMATIC AIR AND GAS VALVE FOR CARS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WARREN D. MCPHEE- SON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Air and Gas Valves for Cars, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to automatic valve means for shutting off the gas supply to the lights on a car, and automatically applying the air brakes of said car, simultaneously with the shutting off of the gas.

In many instances the principal damage caused by a train of cars or a car leaving the track, is due to the fact that it cannot be stopped sufficiently quick to prevent the same from going over an embankment, and secondly, that if said car or train of cars does go over an embankment, a lire results, due to the fact that the gas is turned on when the car is upside down or in whatever position it may be.

The object of my invention is therefore, first, to stop a car or train of cars almost instantly, by applying the air brakes, if the same leaves the track or in case of a collision or a severe contact with another object. And a second object of my invention is to automatically shut off the gas, simultaneously with the application of the air brakes, in case of any of the events taking place, as above mentioned. To accomplish these objects, each car is provided with a weight or pendulum, operating two valves if an unusual or severe shock is imparted to the car longitudinally the invention consisting in the combination of the weight or pendulum with the valves, which will be more specifically described and shown in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a top plan view of my invention, and Fig. 2 is a vertical section of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a detailed view of the pendulum and trip for the valve stems. Fig. 4 is the section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5 5 of l? ig. 2; Fig. 6 is a detailed view of the device for regulating the escapement of the air for the air valves.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, 7 represents the floor of a car to which a plate 8 is secured by means of the screws 9.

10 and 11 are gas and air valve casings, respectively, secured to the plate 8 by means Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led August 4, 1908.

Patented Jan. 12, 1909.

Serial No. 446,953.

of the screws 12. The gas valve casing 10 being rovided with the valve 13 having the centra opening 14 communicating with the gas pipe 15 to allow the gas to pass through said plpe. rIhe valve 13 is provided with an upwardly extending portion 16, opening into a countersunk portion 17, in the iioor of the car, whereby a wrench or the like can engage the square head 18 of the upwardly extending portion, to open said valve. A shoulder 19 is formed at the top of said valve to limit its rotating movement. The bottom portion of the valve 13 is cut away at 20 to form a seat for the spring 21, which encircles the valve stem 22 the spring engaging the valve stem at 23 at one end and secured to the casing, whereby the tension upon the valve is to normally hold the same in a closed position.

1Referring now to the air valve 24, the same is provided with an opening 25, adapted to register with the opening in the air pipe 26, said air valve 24 being cut away, so as to provide a cushion chamber 27 within the casing, before the air passes therefrom. The air valve casing is provided, preferably at its top, with an escapement passage 28, which extends through the casing into the plate S in a vertical manner, and a lateral communieating passage 29 communicates with the vertical assage 23, said communicating passage 29 aving a threaded escapement valve 30 secured thereto, with an escapement port 31 therein and a thumb screw 32, provided with beveled end 33 adapted to close the port 31, or open the same, for the purpose of adjusting the escapement of air from the chamber 27. The lower portion of said air valve 24 is cut away at the bottom and provided with a spring the same as the cut away portion 20 and spring 21 heretofore referred to, also tending to close said valve. The valve 24 is provided with stem 34, both the stems 22 and stems 34 passing through an annular opening 35 in the bottom of said valves and caps 36 having a threaded engagement with annular bosses 37 on the valve casings, for the purpose of packing the valve.

To each valve stem, arms 39 are secured, which project laterally therefrom and have seats 40 at their outer ends. The valve casings are provided with adjacent bosses 41, through which tri stems 42 pass, the bosses 41 being provide with spring seats 43, having springs 44 therein, surrounding said trip stems; said springs abutting againstthe tfp of said seats and having bearings upon annular shoulders 45 -formed on said trip stems; the obj ect of said spring being to always hold the'heads 46 on said trip stems in the seats 40 Y in the arms 39. Ca s 47 have a threaded engagement with `sail bosses 41 to close the ends of said spring seats.

To the top of each trip stem are secured trip arms 48, having downwardly projecting lugs 49. The adjacent bosses 41 on said valves are suiiiciently vapart to form a vertical passage between the same, in which is pivoted a pendulum 50 by means of the pivot pin 51, passing through said pendulum and through depending parts on said bosses. The pivot pin 51 also passes through a double cam member y52, secured `to the pendulum. vSaid pendulum also carries a weight 53, 4held thereon by menas of 'the nut '54, having a 'threaded engagement with the'lower por-tion of said pendulum. The cam member 52 is so constructed that the depending lugs 49 andthe trip arms 48 extend between the two cam-surfaces 55 and'56 on said cam, whereby rocking of fthe cam in either direction will operate said trip arms 48.

` fln Fig. l, 57 and 58 4represent the vair 'and gas pipe couplings, respectively. It can be seen that Vthe gas valve may be r'e-set Afrom lthe interior of the'car, but for `the Apurposeof re-setting the '-a'ir valve, a lever 59 -is secured lto Athe stem 34, lwhich extends through-arms 39, rand rods 60 are attached to each end of said lever arm and extend to either side of Athe car body for the purpose of re-setting lthe valve, exteriorly ofthe car after the same has been opened.

Figs. land 2 inthe drawings show the devicefas thesame would be applied toa car, i. e., the gas and air pipes run longitudinally 'of the car, while the valves lare set Yin alinement transversely of the car, so as to bring `the pendulum in a position whereby it will swing longitudinally of the car only.

'It'can be readily seen, therefore, from the -foregoing description, that if Vthere is a collision'or the carleaves the track, or if the `car body receives any other severe jolt or bump outside of the ordinary kind, that the weight at the bottom of the pendulum would be 'carried forward by the momentum, provided the car was traveling -in a forward direction, vwhich movement of the pendulum would rock the cam 52, causing the cam surface 'to come in contact with the -trip varms '48 and vlifting the same, which would draw the trip stems 42 from the arms 39, and'release the springs 21 the air and gas valves; 'the :result tending in the iirst in- "s'ta'nce to Vapply the air brakes, and in the 4secondinstance to'clo'se thev gas valve, thereby vinstantly and automatically applying the air brakes Vand 'cutting off the'sup'ply of gas.

The weight :53 and Athe pendulum is s0 @casco proportioned that any usual Y.ori ordinary jars would not affect the same in any way, and by means of the kthreaded engagement of the nut 54 with the pendulum 50, the weight 53 may be either raised or lowered to regulate the swinging of the pendulum so that the same will be affected more easily by either a light or arsevere contact.

' It is t'o Ice understood that the weight or pendulum does not come in contact with any object whatsoever, [the same being operated only by the momentum of the car and the force of the contact. It is further of course obvious that by means of the two cam faces upon the' cam 52 that the pendulum will operate irrespective of whether the car is traveling forward or backward, and consequently no attention need be paid as to the manner in which the cars are coupled together.

lt is apparent that various changes mightv be made in the construction herein shown, K

nect'ed with, said valves whereby the moven ment 'or Vsaid weight will operate to close said valves, substantially as described.

2. automatic air and gas valve mechan- `i'si'ni-or cars, consisting of two valves for air and l gas connected to the main pipes respectively, a weight arranged to swing longitudinally relative to the car body, and means connecte ed with said valves whereby the movement of said weight will operate to close the same, substantially as described. p

3. ln an automatic air and gas valve mechanism i'or cars, the combination ``with the train pipes of an air brake system and a gas pipe system, of-a pair oi valves connected to said `pipes for air and gas respectively, springs l`secured to Yeach valve for normally holding the same l'in an open position, a weight arrangedV to swing longitudinally relative to the car body, and means between said springs and weight whereby the movement of said weight will operate to close said valves, substantially as described.

4. An automatic airfand gas valve mech- 'anismfforcara consisting inthe combination of a train lpi e of an air brake system and a ltrain pipe ol a gas system, of an air and gas valve secured to said respective train pipes, arms connected to said valves, trip stems engaging said arms, a weight arranged besaidspri'n'gs will :close said Yvalves,-'substan ftially-a's and lorthe purposes described.'

5. An automatic air and gas valve mechanism for cars, consisting of a pair of valves in line with the air pi e and gas pipe of a train, a Weight arrange between said valves, an arm Secured to the stem of each valve, springs for normally closing said valves, and means for holding said valves open, consisting of a trip stem adapted to engage said arms to prevent their movement, and means for closing said valves, consisting of a cam member secured to said weight and adapted to release said trip stems upon a movement of said weight.

6. An automatic air and gas valve mechanism for cars, consisting of a valve in the train pipe of the air brake system and a valve in the train pipe of the gas system, a pendulum arranged between said valves, provided with a weight at one end and a cam at its other end, springs engaging said valves, normally tending to close the same, and means for holding said valves in an open position, consisting of arms secured to the valves, trip stems engaging said arms, to hold the valves open against the action of said springs, a trip block secured to said trip stem in the path of the cam, whereby a rocking of the pendulum will release said arms, for the purpose of closing said valves, substantially as described. 4

7. rlhe combination with the train pipe of an air brake system and a train pipe of the gas system, of a pair of valves secured to a car in an open position, to allow the air and gas respectively to pass therethrough, springs normally tending to close said valves, means for holding said valves in an open position, consisting `of arms secured to said valves, trip stems adapted to engage said arms and to hold the same against the action of said springs, and meansfor closing said valves, consisting of a pendulum pivoted between the same, a weight at one end of said pendulum, a cam at the other end thereof, adapted to engage the ends of said trip stems upon a rocking movement of said pendulum, for the purpose of releasing the arms and allowing said valves to close by means of said springs, substantially as described.

8. An automatic cut-off for railway cars and other vehicles, comprising a valve located in the gas pipe line at a suitable point between the gas reservoir and the burners, a pendulous weight, a spring normally tending to close said valve, means for holding said valve in an open position against the action of said spring, and means between said pen* dulous weight and valve for releasing the means holding said valve in an open position, whereby the action of said spring will close said valve upon a swinging movement of said weight longitudinally relative to the car body, substantially as described.

9. An automatic cut-oli for railway cars and other vehicles, comprising a valve located in the air pipe line, apendulous weight, a spring normally tending to close said valve, means for holding said valve in an open position against the action of said spring, and means between said pendulous weight and valve for releasing the means holding said valve in an open position, whereby the action of said spring will close said valve u on a swinging movement of said weight longitudinally relative to the car body, substantially as described.

10. An automatic cut-0H for railway cars and other vehicles, comprising a valve located in the gas pi e line at a suitable point between the gas burners and reservoir, a valve located in the air pipe line, a pendulous weight located between said valves, spring means secured to said valves tending to close the same, means for holding said valves in an open position against the action of said spring means, cam means carried by said pendulous weight for releasing said springs thereby closing said valves, and means for re-setting said valves, substantially as described.

WARREN D. MCPHERSON. Witnesses:

FREDERICK C. GOODWIN, JAMES R. OFFIELD. 

